When Pronto Caffe opened in the Cambie Village a few years ago, I was blown away by the signature porchetta sandwich (that lovely Italian rolled roast that is stuffed with herbs and topped with crackling, sliced to order).
A tiny kitchen space meant that the menu never got much bigger than sandwiches, pastas, and a couple of rotating mains, but it was enough to keep the space happily buzzing.
With the May opening of wine bar Prontino next door and a much larger shared kitchen space, Cambie finally has a proper, adult space for wine and snacks.
The room, from designer Scott Cohen, is all warm, smooth wood, cozy raised deuces and magnificently decked-out bar. It definitely has that neighbourhood hang-out feel, and the West Side Rietman’s set seem to have made it their Friday night base.
Oddly, the bar also features pepperoni sticks in large glass pitchers (in lieu of flowers?). The ones closest to the kitchen had wilted like three-day-old tulips, and I’m wondering if the charcuterie plate should be avoided.
Service is highly casual, and not always in a good way. While everyone is friendly and shorts in August are perhaps not to be wondered at, it’s a bit much when one night our server, instead of taking a couple of minutes to explain the specials to us, left us his cell phone, on which he’s photographed the menu board. He didn’t come back for 15 minutes, at which point he smelled strongly of cigarettes – an aroma that dogged us the whole night.
At first glance, the drinks menu reads very well indeed. Classic cocktails like Negronis (barrel-aged) and Sicilian Mules range around $8-$11. There’s also an excellent range of gins and tonics, allowing for mix-and-match G&Ts. My Bellini, with prosecco, white peach puree in white wine, maraschino liquor and syrup, was, unfortunately, undrinkable and bitter. A Pimm’s Cup, a special one night, was marginally better, although so heavy on the fizz that the Pimm’s itself was barely discernible. The sprig of rosemary in it was an odd touch, and did nothing for the drink. Maybe stick to the solid by-the-glass selection or something off the small but well-chosen hops list.
As for the food, confusion is the most consistent reaction. A special one night of “fresh” BC white anchovies in chili and olive oil ($6.50) arrived with a strong vinegar wash. Off the menu, the meatballs ($8) were too firm and the tomato sauce was highly acidic. Both could have used more time on the stove. Gnocchi in a creamy pesto and topped with crispy pancetta ($18) was slightly better. The gnocchi are light and pillowy, and the pesto is flavourful, but the pancetta is overly salty, to the point of being inedible. The porchetta (served as a platter with roasted potatoes for $15) is still worth a visit, but the rest of the menu needs some serious fine-tuning.
Despite the misses, I’m crossing my fingers that Prontino gets over its growing pains and flourishes. The neighbourhood needs a place like this, and, hopefully, the food and service will soon match the room.
All ratings out of five stars.
Food: ★
Service: ★★
Ambiance: ★★★
Overall: ★★
★: Okay, nothing memorable.
★★: Good, shows promise.
★★★: Very good, occasionally excellent.
★★★★: Excellent, consistently above average.
★★★★★: Awe-inspiring, practically perfect in every way.
Open Tuesday-Thursday & Sunday, 5pm-12am; Friday-Saturday, 5pm-1am.
Prontino | 3475 Cambie St. | 604-722-9331 | Facebook.com/Prontino
Anya Levykh has been writing about all things ingestible for more than 10 years. Hear her every Monday on CBC Radio One’s On the Coast and find her on Twitter @foodgirlfriday and Facebook.com/FoodGirlFriday. FoodGirlFriday.com
